Image reading apparatus and computer-readable storage medium

ABSTRACT

An image reading apparatus of the present invention includes an imaging section which images information described in a read target medium consisting of a plurality of pages, and has a temporary storage section which stores a newly captured image as a current captured image, and stores an image that has been stored as a current captured image as a previous captured image each time the imaging section images the read target medium, a judging section which judges whether a current state is a page-turning state by analyzing the current captured image stored in the temporary storage section, and a determining section which determines the previous captured image stored in the temporary storage section as a storage target when the judging section judges that the current state is the page-turning state.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromthe prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-130791, filed Jun. 8,2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus including animaging section which images information described in a read targetmedium (for example, a notebook or a book) consisting of a plurality ofpages, and a computer-readable storage medium.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, an image reading apparatus for reading information describedin a read target medium such as a notebook reads the read target mediumas image data by scanning it by a scanner, or reads the read targetmedium as a captured image by imaging it by a digital camera.

Here, in the case where reading is performed with a scanner, the readtarget medium is required to be not in a booklet form but a single sheet(in a sheet state). Also, in the case where reading is performed with adigital camera, the read target medium may be in a booklet form, but theuser is required to perform imaging while turning over the pages one byone.

As this type of conventional technology for imaging while turning pages,a technique is known in which a character (a page number) in an imagecaptured by an imaging section is recognized after page-turning isdetected, and the captured image is actually recorded on condition thatan already stored image and the captured image have different pagenumbers (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai)Publication No. 2012-065261).

In the technology described above, the end of page-turning is detectedbased on whether a horizontal line in an image (an edge side portion ofa page) has descended to be stabilized while the user is holding a bookand flipping through the pages by using gravity.

However, in the above-described technology disclosed in Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. 2012-065261, if an alreadystored image and a currently captured image have the same page number,the captured image is not actually recorded. For example, in a casewhere pages of a notebook are imaged while a character, a graph, or thelike is being added to the notebook, even when a new character or graphis added, the page number is detected as being the same between analready stored image and a currently captured image. Therefore, thecurrently captured image is disregarded and not actually recorded.

This problem is not limited to the case where the read target medium isa notebook, and a similar problem occurs when pages of a book are imagedwhile information is being added to the book in handwriting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is to appropriately store a captured image foreach page simply by turning a page without performing an imaginginstruction operation for each page or adjusting a range that can beimaged when a read target medium consisting of a plurality of pages isimaged.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided an image reading apparatus including an imaging section whichimages information described in a read target medium consisting of aplurality of pages, comprising: a temporary storage section which storesa newly captured image as a current captured image, and stores an imagethat has been stored as a current captured image as a previous capturedimage each time the imaging section images the read target medium; ajudging section which judges whether a current state is a page-turningstate by analyzing the current captured image stored in the temporarystorage section; and a determining section which determines the previouscaptured image stored in the temporary storage section as a storagetarget when the judging section judges that the current state is thepage-turning state.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having storedthereon a program that is executable by a computer, the program beingexecutable by the computer to perform functions comprising: processingfor judging, in a state where a newly captured image is temporarilystored as a current captured image and an image that has been stored asa current captured image is temporarily stored as a previous image eachtime a read target medium consisting of a plurality of pages is imagedby an imaging section, whether a current state is a page-turning stateby analyzing the temporarily-stored current captured image; andprocessing for determining the temporarily-stored previous capturedimage as a storage target when the current state is judged to be thepage-turning state.

According to the present invention, in a case where a read target mediumconsisting of a plurality of pages is imaged, a captured image can beappropriately stored for each page simply by turning a page withoutperforming an imaging instruction operation for each page or adjusting arange that can be imaged, whereby convenience and reliability areenhanced.

The above and further objects and novel features of the presentinvention will more fully appear from the following detailed descriptionwhen the same is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Itis to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for thepurpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of thelimits of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting basic components of a tabletterminal device 11 including an imaging function (a digital camera), inwhich the present invention has been applied as an image readingapparatus;

FIG. 2A is a diagram depicting the tablet terminal device 11 protectedwith a main body cover 12;

FIG. 2B is a diagram depicting the tablet terminal device 11 standing byusing the main body cover 12;

FIG. 2C is a diagram depicting the standing tablet terminal device 11viewed from the front direction;

FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing a relation between the viewing angleof an imaging section 6 and a read target medium (a notebook) 13 whenthe read target medium 13 to be read is placed anterior and inferior tothe standing tablet terminal device 11 and imaged;

FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C are diagrams for describing marks M added topredetermined areas on left and right pages of the opened read targetmedium 13;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an operation that is started when an imagereading function (a notebook reading function) is specified by an imageread key 4 b;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an operation following the operation of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7A to FIG. 7J are diagrams exemplarily depicting the contents of anA buffer 3 c and a B buffer 3 d making transitions with time;

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing a feature of a second embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an operation following the flow of FIG. 5 inthe second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below withreference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

First, a first embodiment of the present invention is described withreference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 7J.

The present embodiment is an example in which the present invention hasbeen applied as an image reading apparatus to a tablet terminal deviceincluding an imaging function (a digital camera). FIG. 1 is a blockdiagram depicting basic components of the camera-equipped tabletterminal device.

For example, the tablet terminal device is a portable informationterminal device of an A5 size as a whole, and is configured to have acontrol section 1 as a core and include basic functions, such as a touchinput function and a wireless communication function, and an imagereading function (a notebook reading function) for reading information(such as a character or a graph) described in a read target medium (anotebook placed in an opened state) placed near the tablet terminaldevice by imaging the read target medium, which will be describedfurther below in detail.

The control section 1 operates with power supply from a power supplysection (a secondary battery) 2, and controls the entire operation ofthe tablet terminal device according to various programs in a storagesection 3. This control section 1 is provided with a CPU (CentralProcessing Unit) and a memory not shown.

The storage section 3 is configured to have, for example, a ROM(Read-Only Memory) and a flash memory, and includes a program memory 3 ahaving stored therein programs and various applications for achievingthe present embodiment according to an operation procedure depicted inFIG. 5 and FIG. 6, which will be described further below, a work memory3 b that temporarily stores various information (for example, a flag)required for the operation of the tablet terminal device, an A buffer 3c and a B buffer 3 d, and the like which will be described furtherbelow.

The storage section 3 may be configured to include a removable portablememory (recording medium) such as an SD (Secure Digital) card or an IC(Integrated Circuit) card, or may be configured to include, although notshown, a storage area on a predetermined server device side in a casewhere the tablet terminal device is connected to a network via acommunication function.

An operation section 4 in FIG. 1 includes a power supply key 4 a to turnthe power supply ON/OFF, an image read key 4 b to start and end theimage reading function (notebook reading function), and the like as pushkeys. The control section 1 performs processing according to an inputoperation signal outputted from the operation section 4 in response tothe operation of an operation key.

A touch display section 5 in FIG. 1 is configured to have a touch panel5 b laminated on a display panel 5 a. The display panel 5 a is ahigh-definition liquid-crystal display or an organic EL (ElectroLuminescence) display having a screen where the aspect ratio differs(for example, 4:3 [width to height]).

The touch panel 5 b constitutes a touch screen where a point touchedwith a finger of the user is detected and its coordinate data isinputted. For example, a capacitive type or a resistive film type isadopted herein. However, any other type may be adopted.

An imaging section 6 in FIG. 1 provides the image reading function(notebook reading function). This imaging section 6 is a camera sectionthat can image a subject with high definition by forming a subject imagefrom an optical lens at an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge CoupledDevice) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) not shown,and includes a taking lens, an image pickup device, various sensors, ananalog processing section, and a digital processing section.

For example, the imaging section 6 can perform continuous imaging(high-speed imaging) at a frame rate of 15 frames per second (15 fps).When the image reading function (notebook reading function) is running,the control section 1 controls such that a newly captured image for oneframe is temporarily stored in the A buffer 30 as a current capturedimage, and a captured image temporarily stored up to this point in the Abuffer 30 to be transferred to and temporarily stored in the B buffer 3d as a previous captured image.

A wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication section 7 in FIG. 1 isa wireless communication module capable of high-speed large-capacitycommunication and capable of being connected to the Internet via anearby wireless LAN router (not shown).

An acceleration sensor 8 in FIG. 1 is an acceleration sensor of atriaxial type, and outputs acceleration components in three axesdirections (X, Y, and Z directions) orthogonal to each other, or inother words, voltage values in proportion to the magnitudes ofacceleration applied to three axes. Also, this acceleration sensor 8 isan orientation sensor for detecting the orientation (tilting) of ahousing (the main body of the device) based on detection values of thevoltage values.

When the image reading function (notebook reading function) is running,the control section 1 refers to detection results from the accelerationsensor 8 and judges whether the orientation of the housing (the mainbody of the device) is suitable for the image reading function (notebookreading function).

FIG. 2A is a diagram depicting the tablet terminal device 11 protectedwith a main body cover 12. FIG. 2B is a diagram depicting the tabletterminal device 11 diagonally standing by using the main body cover 12.

That is, the housing of the tablet terminal device 11 forms a thinrectangular parallelepiped as a whole. FIG. 2B, which depicts the statein which the housing is in a landscape orientation with its short sidedirection slightly laid down (inclined toward the rear side), is a sideview of the standing state viewed from one side direction. The main bodycover 12 is structured to be foldable at a predetermined position (forexample, two positions).

That is, as depicted in FIG. 2B, the main body cover 12 is structured tobe capable of being folded at two positions, or in other words, the topportion and the back center portion, and supporting the standing tabletterminal device 11 from behind by being folded at these positions.

FIG. 2C is a schematic perspective view of the standing tablet terminaldevice 11 when viewed from the front direction, in which the tabletterminal device 11 is in the landscape orientation with its short sidedirection slightly laid down, as depicted in FIG. 2B.

As depicted in FIG. 2C, with the tablet terminal device 11 standing inthe landscape orientation, the touch display section 5 is placed in thesubstantially entire area of the front side of the housing.

On the center of the upper end of the front side of the housing, theimaging section (the digital camera) 6 is placed. Although not shown, amark, a line, or the like for guiding the placement position of a readtarget medium may be printed on part of the main body cover 12.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing a relation between the viewing angleof the imaging section 6 and a read target medium (a notebook) 13 whenthe read target medium 13 as a read target is placed anterior andinferior to (near the lower side portion of) the standing tabletterminal device 11 which is in the landscape orientation with its shortside direction slightly laid down, and then imaged.

Although depending on the size of the read target medium 13, the viewingangle of the imaging section 6 takes an area corresponding to the sizeof the read target medium 13 as a range that can be imaged. When theopened read target medium 13 is placed anterior and inferior to thetablet terminal device 11, left and right pages in the opened state arethe range that can be imaged. The imaging section 6 can adjust theviewing angle, exposure, white balance, and the like according to thetype (such as size, paper quality, or color) of the read target medium13.

FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C are diagrams for describing marks M added topredetermined areas on left and right pages of the opened read targetmedium (the notebook) 13.

These predetermined marks M are added to predetermined areas of therespective pages (lower corners of the pages) constituting the readtarget medium 13.

That is, the marks M added to the lower left corner of the left page andthe lower right corner of the right page in the opened state of the readtarget medium 13 are identical to each other, but the marks M added toother left and right pages are different from those described above.

For example, circular marks M are added to the left and right pages inthe opened state depicted in FIG. 4A (an n-th page and an (n+1)-thpage). Also, as depicted in FIG. 4B, diamond marks M are added to thenext left and right pages (an (n+2)-th page and an (n+3)-th page).Moreover, as depicted in FIG. 4C, cross marks M are added to the furthernext left and right pages (an (n+4)-th page and an (n+5)-th page).

Similarly, circular, diamond, and cross marks M are cyclically added tothe following left and right pages in the opened state. That is, diamondmarks are added to the left and right pages next to those with circularmarks, cross marks are added to the left and right pages next to thosewith the diamond marks, and circular marks are added to the left andright pages next to those with the cross marks.

To add the marks M to the read target medium 13, the marks M may beprinted in advance, or a user may attach labels with marks to the readtarget medium 13 as required.

While the marks M are represented in the drawings as being largecompared with the read target medium 13 so that the marks M are clearlydepicted, the marks M in practical use are of a small size so as to beinconspicuous.

As such, in the state where the marks M have been added to therespective pages of the read target medium 13, when left and right pagesare imaged such that these pages in the opened state of the read targetmedium are included in the imaging range of the imaging section 6, thecontrol section 1 recognizes each mark H added to each page in theopened state by analyzing the current captured image, and judges whetherthe current state is a page-turning state (during page-turning) based onrelevance of each of the recognized marks M.

That is, if the marks M on left and right pages are of the same type andshape, the control section 1 judges that the current state is not thepage-turning state. If the marks M on left and right pages are ofdifferent types or of different shapes even of the same type, thecontrol section 1 judges that the current state is the page-turningstate.

That is, by turning a page, the mark on that page may seem to bedeformed or may be hidden, or a mark on a subsequent page may appear. Assuch, by using the fact that page-turning causes the mark to be vieweddifferently or causes a mark on a subsequent page to appear, the controlsection 1 judges whether page-turning is being performed by detectingthe state of the marks.

For example, by turning a page, even a circular mark on that page mayseem to be deformed or partially chipped. In this case, the controlsection 1 judges that the marks are not of the same shape even if themarks are of the same type. Also, if the control section 1 suddenlybecomes unable to recognize any mark M or a mark M partially overlaps amark M on a subsequent page, the control section 1 judges that the marksM are not of the same shape.

In the first embodiment, the control section 1 judges whetherpage-turning is being performed depending on whether the respectivemarks M on left and right pages in the opened state are of the same typeand shape. Alternatively, the control section 1 may judge whetherpage-turning is being performed only based on the type of the marks M,or in other words, depending on whether the marks M on left and rightpages in the opened state are of the same type.

As a result, when judged that page-turning is being performed, thecontrol section 1 judges the previous captured image temporarily storedin the B buffer 3 d as an image to be stored, and causes the previouscaptured image to be recorded and stored in the SD card of the storagesection 3.

Next, the operation concept of the tablet terminal device 11 in thefirst embodiment is described with reference to flowcharts depicted inFIG. 5 and FIG. 6.

Here, each function described in these flowcharts is stored in the formof readable program code, and operations according to the program codeare sequentially performed. Also, operations according to the programcode transmitted via a transmission medium such as a network can besequentially performed.

The same goes for other embodiments, which will be described furtherbelow. An operation unique to the present embodiment can be performed byusing a program/data externally supplied via not only a recording mediumbut also a transmission medium.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are flowcharts outlining the operation of acharacteristic portion of the present embodiment from among all of theoperations of the tablet terminal device 11. After exiting the flows ofFIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the control section 1 returns to the main flow (notshown) of the entire operation.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are flowcharts of the operation that is started whenthe image reading function (notebook reading function) is specified bythe image read key 4 b.

The operation of the image reading function (notebook reading function)is specifically described with reference to FIG. 7A to FIG. 7J.

FIG. 7A to FIG. 7J are diagrams exemplarily depicting the contents ofthe A buffer 3 c and the B buffer 3 d making transitions with time,which are images when viewed from the direction of the user.

After starting the image reading function (the notebook readingfunction) by operating the image read key 4 b, the user sequentiallyturns the pages of a notebook while adding lesson content or the like tothe notebook according to the progress of the lesson.

When the image reading function is activated, the control section 1first starts the acceleration sensor 8, obtains a detection resulttherefrom (Step S1 of FIG. 5), and judges whether the orientation of thehousing is suitable for image reading, that is, whether the tabletterminal device 11 is in a standing state (a state suitable for imagereading) in which the tablet terminal device 11 is in a landscapeorientation with its short side direction slightly laid down (Step S2).

When the state is not the state suitable for image reading (NO at StepS2), the control section 1 causes the touch display section 5 to displaya message for notifying the user that the orientation of the housingshould be changed to be in the state suitable for image reading (StepS3), and then returns to Step S1. This operation is repeated until theorientation is changed.

When the orientation suitable for image reading is detected (YES at StepS2), the control section 1 judges whether the current mode is ahigh-speed turning read mode (a high-speed read mode) (Step S4).

Here, the high-speed turning read mode is a read mode that is used whenso-called flipping is performed, or in other words, when a plurality ofpages are consecutively turned at high speed (for example, one page persecond) to read images at high speed and collectively store them. If thecurrent mode is not the high-speed turning read mode, the controlsection 1 judges that the current mode is a normal read mode other thanthe high-speed read mode.

When the current mode is the normal read mode (NO at Step S4), thecontrol section 1 sets a slow imaging interval (for example, 50 ms)(Step S6). When the current mode is the high-speed turning read mode(YES at Step S4), the control section 1 sets a fast imaging interval(for example, 15 ms) (Step S5).

Then, the control section 1 judges whether an operation for instructingthe start of imaging has been performed (Step S7), and judges whether anoperation for instructing the change of the read mode has been performed(Step S8).

When judged that an operation for instructing the change of the readmode has been performed (YES at Step S8), the control section 1 returnsto Step S4, and performs processing for resetting the imaging intervalaccording to the changed read mode (Step S5 or Step S6).

When judged that an operation for instructing the start of imaging hasbeen performed (YES at Step S7), the control section 1 starts imaging bythe imaging section 6 at every set time described above (Step S9).

Then, the control section 1 proceeds to the flow of FIG. 6, and afterperforming initialization 0 processing for clearing the contents of theA buffer 3 c and the B buffer 3 d (Step S10), judges whether anoperation for instructing the end of the image reading function(notebook reading function) has been performed (Step S11).

When judged that an read end operation has not been performed (NO atStep S11), the control section 1 obtains a captured image for one framefrom the imaging section 6 imaging at every set time described above(Step S12), and temporarily stores the obtained image in the A buffer 3c as a current captured image (Step S13).

Then, by analyzing the current captured image, the control section 1recognizes the respective marks M added on predetermined areas of theleft and right pages (Step S14), and judges whether the marks M on theleft and right pages are of the same type and shape (Step S15).

That is, the control section 1 judges whether the marks are of the sametype (for example, circular, diamond, or cross marks) and also judgeswhether the marks M of the same type are of the same shape.

At the initial stage of the start of the reading, the control section 1detects that the marks M on the left and right pages are of the sametype and shape (YES at Step S15). Therefore, the control section 1judges that no page-turning is being performed, and proceeds to the nextStep S16 where the control section 1 judges whether a captured image hasbeen temporarily stored in the B buffer 3 d. However, if it isimmediately after the initialization processing described above, thecontents of the B buffer 3 d have been cleared (NO at Step S16), andtherefore the control section 1 proceeds to the next Step S21.

For example, in the case of FIG. 7A, although the current captured imagehas been stored in the A buffer 3 c, no captured image has been storedin the B buffer 3 d. Therefore, the control section 1 detects thisstate, and proceeds to the next Step S21.

At Step S21, the control section 1 performs processing for updating thecontents of the B buffer 3 d by transferring the contents of the Abuffer 3 c to the B buffer 3 d. FIG. 7B depicts the state immediatelyafter the control section 1 transfers the captured image in the A buffer3 c to the B buffer 3 d.

Then, the control section 1 returns to Step 611, obtains a capturedimage for one frame from the imaging section 6 imaging at every set time(Step S12), and temporarily stores the obtained image in the A buffer 3c as a current captured image (Step S13).

FIG. 7C depicts the contents of the A buffer 3 c and the B buffer 3 d inthis case.

Here, on condition that the marks M on the left and right pages in thecurrent captured image are of the same type and shape (YES at Step S15)and an image has been stored in the B buffer 3 d (YES at Step S16), thecontrol section 1 compares the marks M of the image in the A buffer 3 c(the current captured image) and the image in the B buffer 3 d (theprevious captured image) with each other (Step S17) to judge whether themarks M are different from each other (Step S18).

In FIG. 7C, since the marks M are identical to each other (NO at StepS18), the control section 1 performs processing for updating thecontents of the B buffer 3 d by transferring the contents of the Abuffer 3 c to the B buffer 3 d (Step S21), and then returns to Step S11.

Similarly, the control section 1 obtains a captured image for one framefrom the imaging section 6 (Step S12), temporarily stores the obtainedimage in the A buffer 3 c as a current captured image (Step S13), andjudges whether the marks M on the left and right pages in the currentcaptured image are of the same type and shape (Steps S14 and S15). Inthis case, if the marks M on the left and right pages are of differenttypes as depicted in FIG. 7D (NO at Step S18), the control section 1judges that page-turning is being performed.

As such, when judged that page-turning is being performed, the controlsection 1 proceeds to the next Step S22, and clears the contents of theA buffer 3 c to disregard the image (the current captured image) in theA buffer 3 c. FIG. 7E depicts the case in which the contents of the Abuffer 3 c have been cleared.

Then, the control section 1 returns to Step S11, obtains a capturedimage for one frame from the imaging section 6 (Step S12) andtemporarily stores the obtained image in the A buffer 3 c as a currentcaptured image (Step S13), as described above.

FIG. 7F depicts the contents of the A buffer 3 c and the B buffer 3 d inthis case. In this case, as a result of comparing the marks M betweenthe image in the A buffer 3 c (the current captured image) and the imagein the B buffer 3 d (the previous captured image), the marks M aredifferent from each other (YES at Step S18). Therefore, the controlsection 1 determines the image in the B buffer 3 d (the previouscaptured image) as a storage target (Step S19), and records and storesthe determined image in the SD card of the storage section 3 (Step S20).

Then, the control section 1 proceeds to the next Step S21, and performsprocessing for updating the contents of the B buffer 3 d by transferringthe contents of the A buffer 3 c to the B buffer 3 d. FIG. 7G depictsthe state in this case.

FIG. 7H depicts the case in which the marks M of the current capturedimage stored in the A buffer 3 c are identical to the marks M of theprevious captured image stored in the B buffer 3 d, as in the case ofFIG. 7C.

FIG. 7I depicts the case in which the marks M on the left and rightpages in the current captured image are different from each other andthe control section 1 judges that page-turning is being performed, as inthe case of FIG. 7D.

Thereafter, if page-turning is not detected by the operation similar tothat described above, the control section 1 updates the contents of theB buffer 3 d. If page-turning is detected, the control section 1determines the image in the B buffer 3 d (the previous captured image)as a storage target, and records and stores the determined image in theSD card of the storage section 3.

When an operation for instructing the end of the image reading function(the notebook reading function) is performed after the operationdescribed above (YES at Step S11), the control section 1 determines theimage in the B buffer 3 d (the previous captured image) as a storagetarget (Step S23), and records and stores the determined image in the SDcard of the storage section 3 (Step S24). Then, the control section 1exits the flows of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. FIG. 7J depicts the case in whichan operation for ending image reading has been performed.

As described above, in the first embodiment, while performing anoperation for storing a new captured image as a current captured imageevery time the imaging section 6 images the read target medium in the Abuffer 3 c and an operation for storing an image stored so far in the Abuffer 3 c as a current captured image in the B buffer 3 d as a previouscaptured image, the control section 1 judges whether the current stateis a page-turning state by analyzing the current captured image. If thecurrent state is a page-turning state, the control section 1 determinesthe previous captured image stored in the B buffer 3 d as a storagetarget. Therefore, in a case where a read target medium consisting of aplurality of pages is imaged, a captured image for each page can beappropriately stored simply by turning pages without performing animaging instruction operation for each page or adjusting a range thatcan be imaged, whereby convenience and reliability are enhanced.

Also, when the read target medium 13 to be read is a notebook, theprevious captured image contains all contents written in the notebookimmediately before page-turning, and an image during writing in a pageis not stored. Therefore, a captured image stored for each page isalways appropriate.

Moreover, the stored image is an image immediately before page-turning.That is, even if fingers for turning the page is captured in the imagewhen the user stops writing in the notebook and takes off the hand fromthe notebook to proceed to a page-turning operation, the hand holding awriting instrument in a writing state is not captured in the image.

Furthermore, the control section 1 recognizes the marks on therespective pages of the read target medium 13, and judges whether thecurrent state is the page-turning state based on the mark recognitionresult. Therefore, the decision regarding page-turning can be madeeasily and appropriately, and trouble due to an error in judgmentregarding page-turning can be prevented.

Still further, with information on two pages in the opened read targetmedium 13 being included, when the marks added to the respective pagesin the opened state are recognized by analyzing the current capturedimage, the control section 1 judges whether the current state is thepage-turning state based on relevance between the recognized marks(whether the marks are identical to each other). Therefore, page-turningcan be appropriately judged based on relevance between the marks.

Yet still further, if relevance between the marks added to therespective pages in the opened state indicates that the marks areidentical to each other (for example, if the marks are of the same typeand shape), the control section 1 judges that the current state is notthe page-turning state. If the marks are different from each other, thecontrol section 1 judges that the current state is the page-turningstate. Therefore, page-turning can be appropriately judged based onwhether the marks are identical to each other.

Yet still further, when judged that the current state is thepage-turning state, the control section 1 deletes the current capturedimage stored in the A buffer 3 c. Therefore, an image captured duringpage-turning (an image not suitable for being stored) is reliablyprevented from being transferred from the A buffer 3 c to the B buffer 3d for storage, and only an appropriate image captured immediately beforepage-turning is stored.

Yet still further, in response to the image read end operation, thecontrol section 1 determines the previous captured image in the B buffer3 d as a storage target. Therefore, pages can be stored up to the lastwritten page of the notebook.

Yet still further, when the orientation of the main body of the devicedetected by the acceleration sensor 8 is a predetermined orientation,imaging by the imaging section 6 is performed. Therefore, imaging can beperformed with the viewing angle, focus, exposure, and the likedetermined according to the orientation. Thus, the viewing angle, focus,exposure, and the like are not required to be adjusted.

Yet still further, as the orientation of the main body of the device,when the tablet terminal device 11 is in a landscape orientation and ina standing state with its short side direction slightly laid down, theimaging section 6 images the read target medium 13 placed near the lowerside portion of (anterior and inferior to) the tablet terminal device11. Therefore, the read target medium 13 can be imaged always fromabove, which is suitable for imaging while writing in the notebook.

Yet still further, a selection can be freely made between the high-speedturning read mode for so-called flipping and the normal read mode otherthan high-speed turning, and imaging timing by the imaging section 6 iscontrolled so that the imaging interval complies with the read mode.Therefore, image reading according to a selected mode can be performed,whereby convenience is enhanced.

In the first embodiment described above, although the marks M are of thesame type and shape as relevance of the marks M in the current capturedimage, the control section 1 may judge whether the marks M are of thesame type as relevance of the marks M, as described above.

Also, the control section 1 may judge whether the current state is thepage-turning state based on whether the marks M of the same type are ofthe same mark size or the same placement position. For example, thecontrol section 1 may judge based on a combination of the mark shape andthe mark placement position.

Moreover, although the circular, diamond, and cross marks areexemplarily described as types of the marks M in the first embodimentdescribed above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and anyother type can be used. The marks M are not restricted to graphic formsor signs, but may be characters or numerals and, as a matter of course,page numbers (sequential numbers) printed on a read target medium.

Furthermore, although the control section 1 stores a captured image forone frame in sequence in the A buffer 3 c and the B buffer 3 c in thefirst embodiment described above, the control section 1 may temporarilystore a plurality of captured images for a plurality of successiveframes. In this case, the control section 1 may specify a captured imageat an intermediate point from among the captured images for theplurality of frames for each of the A buffer 3 c and the B buffer 3 dand compare the marks M.

Second Embodiment

A second embodiment of the present invention is described below withreference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9.

In the first embodiment described above, the control section 1recognizes the marks M added to left and right pages in the opened readtarget medium 13, and judges whether the current state is thepage-turning state based on the result of the recognition of the marksM. In the second embodiment, the control section 1 recognizes thewritten state of a character, a graph, or the like written in left andright pages in the opened read target medium 13, compares written statesbetween the current captured image and the previous captured image, andjudges whether page-turning is being performed based on the comparisonresult (a write change state).

Note that Sections that are basically the same or have the same name inboth embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and thereforeexplanations thereof are omitted. Hereafter, the characteristic sectionsof the second embodiment will mainly be described.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing a feature of the second embodiment.

In the second embodiment, when the imaging section 6 images left andright pages in the opened read target medium 13, the control section 1recognizes the written state of a character, a graph, or the likewritten in the notebook by analyzing the captured image. For example,the control section 1 recognizes the outline shape of a written portion,that is, an outline shape according to the size of a character group ina column direction or a row direction or the size of a graph in a columndirection or a row direction. However, the control section 1 does notrecognize the entire pages, but recognizes only a part of areas with ahigh possibility of writing.

In an example depicted in the drawing, an area at an upper left corner(A AREA) and an area at an upper left of the center (B AREA) are set onthe left page as areas with high possibility of writing and, similarly,an area at an upper left corner (C AREA) and an area at an upper left ofthe center (D AREA) are set on the right page as areas with highpossibility of writing.

These areas are areas fixedly determined in advance by the manufacturerside or the like. As such, with the A to D areas being set as aplurality of areas on the left and right pages in the opened state, thecontrol section 1 analyzes the current captured image, recognizes thewritten state of each of the A to D areas (the outline shape of thewritten portion), compares it with the written state of each of the A toD areas of the previous captured image, and thereby judges whether thewritten states between the relevant areas match each other. Then, thecontrol section 1 counts the number of matched areas, and judges whetherpage-turning is being performed based on whether the number of areas isequal to or larger than a predetermined value (for example, 3, that is,three areas out of four areas).

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an operation following the flow of FIG. 5,which replaces FIG. 6 of the first embodiment. Portions basicallysimilar to those of FIG. 6 are briefly described.

First, as with the first embodiment, the control section 1 performsinitialization processing for clearing the A buffer 3 c and the B buffer3 d (Step S100). If a read end operation has not been performed (NO atStep S101), the control section 1 obtains a captured image for one framefrom the imaging section 6 (Step S102), and temporarily stores theobtained image in the A buffer 3 c as a current captured image (StepS103).

Then, by analyzing the current captured image, the control section 1performs processing for recognizing the written state (the outline shapeof the written portion) of each of the A to D areas on the left andright pages in the opened state (Step S104), and then judges whether acaptured image has been temporarily stored in the B buffer 3 d (StepS105).

Here, immediately after the initialization processing, the contents ofthe B buffer 3 d have been cleared (NO at Step S105), and therefore thecontrol section 1 proceeds to the next Step S110. At Step S110, thecontrol section 1 performs processing for updating the contents of the Bbuffer 3 d by transferring the captured image in the A buffer 3 c to theB buffer 3 d.

Then, to take the written state of each area recognized by analyzing thecurrent captured image as the written state of each area for theprevious captured image, the control section 1 performs processing fortemporarily storing the written state corresponding to the A buffer 3 cas a written state corresponding to the B buffer 3 d (Step S111).

Next, the control section 1 returns to Step S101. At Step S101, until aread end instruction is given, the control section 1 obtains a capturedimage for one frame from the imaging section 6 (Step S102), temporarilystores the obtained image in the A buffer 3 c as a current capturedimage (Step S103), and performs processing for analyzing the currentcaptured image and recognizing the written state of each of the A to Dareas (Step S104).

Here, since a captured image has been temporarily stored in the B buffer3 d (YES at Step S105), the control section 1 proceeds to the next StepS106, and compares the written state corresponding to the A buffer 3 cand the written state corresponding to the B buffer 3 d with each otherfor each area.

Then, the control section 1 judges whether the written states betweenthe corresponding areas match each other (substantially match eachother, for example, match 90% or higher) for each area, counts thenumber of matched areas, and judges whether page-turning is beingperformed based on whether the number or areas is equal to or higherthan a predetermined value (for example, “3”) (Step S107).

As a result, if the number of matched areas is equal to or larger than3, which is the predetermined number (YES at Step S107), or in otherwords, if at least the contents of three areas out of four areas havenot been changed, the control section 1 judges that page-turning is notbeing performed, and proceeds to the next Step S110 to performprocessing for updating the contents of the B buffer 3 d by transferringthe captured image in the A buffer 3 c to the B buffer 3 d. In addition,the control section 1 performs processing for temporarily storing thewritten state corresponding to the A buffer 3 c as a written statecorresponding to the B buffer 3 d (Step S111).

At Step S107, if the number of matched areas is smaller than 3 (NO atStep S107) and a change has occurred in at least two areas out of fourareas, the control section 1 judges that page-turning is beingperformed. Accordingly, the control section 1 proceeds to Step S108, anddetermines the image in the B buffer 3 d (the previous captured image)as a storage target. Subsequently, the control section 1 records andstores the determined image in the SD card of the storage section 3(Step S109).

Next, the control section 1 performs processing for updating thecontents of the B buffer 3 d by transferring the captured image in the Abuffer 3 c to the B buffer 3 d (Step S110), and processing fortemporarily storing the written state corresponding to the A buffer 3 cas a written state corresponding to the B buffer 3 d (Step S111). Thecontrol section 1 then returns to Step S101.

Hereafter, the control section 1 repeats the operation described above.When an operation to instruct the end of the image reading function(notebook reading function) is performed (YES at Step S101), the controlsection 1 determines the image in the B buffer 3 d (the previouscaptured image) as a storage target (Step S112), and records and storesthe determined image in the SD card of the storage section 3 (StepS113). Then, the control section 1 exits the flow of FIG. 9.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the control section 1compares written states between the current captured image and theprevious captured image, and judges whether page-turning is beingperformed based on a result of the comparison (a write change state).Therefore, page-turning can be easily and reliably detected from thewritten state (the write change state) of a character, a graph, or thelike written in the notebook.

Also, when analyzing the current captured image and the previouscaptured image, the control section 1 compares the contents of aplurality of areas in each captured image with each other, and therebyjudges whether page-turning is being performed based on the number ofareas where the image has been changed from among the plurality ofareas. As a result of this configuration, left and right pages in theopened state are not entirely recognized and only part of the areas withhigh possibility of writing is recognized, whereby recognitionefficiency is improved.

Moreover, in the second embodiment, as the plurality of areas on leftand right pages in the opened state, the A area to the D area determinedin advance by the manufacturer side are fixedly set. However, the numberof areas and the size of each area are not limited to this, and an areafreely set by a user operation can be used.

Furthermore, each area may be dynamically set depending on the degree ofwriting (writing amount) in the notebook.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the present invention isapplied to the tablet terminal device 11 as an image reading apparatus.However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The presentinvention may be applied to an imaging-function-equipped personalcomputer, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), digital camera, musicplayer, portable telephone, or the like, or, as a matter of course, maybe a digital camera itself.

Still further, the “devices” or the “sections” described in theabove-described embodiment are not required to be in a single housingand may be separated into a plurality of housings by function. Inaddition, the steps in the above-described flowcharts are not requiredto be processed in time-series, and may be processed in parallel, orindividually and independently.

While the present invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiments, it is intended that the invention be not limitedby any of the details of the description therein but includes all theembodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image reading apparatus including an imagingsection which images information described in a read target mediumconsisting of a plurality of pages, comprising: a temporary storagesection which stores a newly captured image as a current captured image,and stores an image that has been stored as a current captured image asa previous captured image each time the imaging section images the readtarget medium; a judging section which judges whether a current state isa page-turning state by analyzing the current captured image stored inthe temporary storage section; and a determining section whichdetermines the previous captured image stored in the temporary storagesection as a storage target when the judging section judges that thecurrent state is the page-turning state.
 2. The image reading apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the judging section recognizes marksrespectively added to each page of the read target medium and judgeswhether the current state is the page-turning state based on a result ofrecognition of the marks.
 3. The image reading apparatus according toclaim 2, wherein the judging section judges, after recognizing the marksrespectively added to each page in an opened state by analyzing acurrent captured image obtained in a state where information containedin two pages of the opened read target medium is within an imaging areaof the imaging section, whether the current state is the page-turningstate based on relevance between the recognized marks.
 4. The imagereading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the judging sectionjudges that the current state is not the page-turning state when therelevance between the marks respectively added to each page in theopened state indicates that the marks are identical to each other, andjudges that the current state is the page-turning state when the marksare different from each other.
 5. The image reading apparatus accordingto claim 1, further comprising: a delete section which deletes thecurrent captured image temporarily stored in the temporary storagesection when the judging section judges that the current state is thepage-turning state.
 6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the determining section determines the previous captured imagestored in the temporarily storage section as a storage target, inresponse to an end instruction for instructing the imaging section toend imaging of the read target medium.
 7. The image reading apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the judging section judges whetherpage-turning has been performed based on a change state between thecurrent captured image and the previous captured image by analyzing thecurrent captured image and the previous captured image.
 8. The imagereading apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the judging sectioncompares contents of a plurality of areas in each of the currentcaptured image and the previous captured image, and judges whetherpage-turning has been performed based on number of areas including imagechange, when analyzing the current captured image and the previouscaptured image.
 9. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising: a detection section which detects orientation of amain body of the image reading apparatus; and a first imaging controlsection which allows imaging by the imaging section when the orientationdetected by the detection section is a predetermined orientation. 10.The image reading apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the imagereading apparatus is a portable terminal device, and wherein the firstimaging section, with a main body of the portable terminal devicestanding upright and the imaging section being placed on upper sideportion of the main body of the portable terminal device, allows imagingof the read target medium placed near a lower side portion of the mainbody of the portable terminal device, when the detection section detectsthat the main body of the portable terminal device is standing upright.11. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a mode specifying section which selects and specifies anarbitrary image read mode from among a plurality of image read modeswhich have different imaging intervals according to a page-turning speedfor the read target medium consisting of the plurality of pages; and asecond imaging control section which controls imaging timing of theimaging section such that an imaging interval according to the imageread mode specified by the mode specifying section is achieved.
 12. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon aprogram that is executable by a computer, the program being executableby the computer to perform functions comprising: processing for judging,in a state where a newly captured image is temporarily stored as acurrent captured image and an image that has been stored as a currentcaptured image is temporarily stored as a previous image each time aread target medium consisting of a plurality of pages is imaged by animaging section, whether a current state is a page-turning state byanalyzing the temporarily-stored current captured image; and processingfor determining the temporarily-stored previous captured image as astorage target when the current state is judged to be the page-turningstate.